Alex de Alba, Abraham Calderón and Mateo Girón expressed their thoughts heading to NASCAR Mexico Series’ opening round at Super Óvalo Potosino.
NASCAR Mexico Series is kickstarting their 2026 season with the Potosino 200 on 15 March. It is set to be NASCAR Mexico’s first visit to the Super Óvalo Potosino on the 2026 calendar.
The series is set for a completely different landscape in 2026, having followed NASCAR’s lead in ditching the Playoffs system in favor of adding the Chase – a first for NASCAR Mexico.
A 12-race schedule awaits the drivers from both NASCAR Mexico and the second-tier Challenge Series.
It featured not only a return to familiar venues like Potosino and Autódromo Miguel E. Abed, but also the addition of some new venues such as Aeropuerto Tulum and Autódromo Yucatán.
“It will be the start of a year with many new developments, such as a competition in Tulum and a return to [El Dorado Speedway in] Chihuahua, as well as new tire compounds and the championship will be decided through the Chase rather than the Playoffs,” said Humberto García, NASCAR Mexico’s COO.
Reigning champion Alex de Alba will return to the grid with his usual No. 14 Red Cola Ford.
The Sidral Aga Racing driver won the championship in spectacular fashion last year, snatching the title away from Max Gutiérrez after Playoff Final Four contender Gutiérrez and Julio Rejón collided with each other in the final corner during the finale at Miguel E. Abed.
Alba, who was born in San Luis Potosi, is relishing the opportunity to start his title defense at his home track.
Alba also expressed his excitement at the Chase format, stating that it felt “much more interesting” to him compared to the much-maligned Playoffs system.
“It’s great that we’re starting again in my hometown, and a new stage begins to defend the crown I won in the closest finish in history,” said de Alba to nascar.mx.
“Determining the champion through the Chase system seems much more interesting to me, and we’ll have to prepare a lot for it.”
NASCAR Mexico stalwart Abraham Calderón is also returning on his No. 2 Escuderia Telmex Camaro, which will be racing under the “Aurora-Ruckus-ZTE/Nubia” banner after its main sponsors.
Calderón, a former two-time champion of NASCAR Mexico, is aiming to return to the championship fight after a disappointing season in 2025 where he only finished ninth overall despite advancing to the Round of 7.
“While I haven’t thought about retiring, it would be nice to do so with another championship,” said Calderón to nascar.mx.
“In any case, right now I’m focused on this year, where I hope things go much better for us.”
New to the grid in 2026 is Mateo Girón, who steps up to NASCAR Mexico Challenge Series after finishing as runner-ups in the 2025 Trucks México Series season.
Joining forces with the established Alessandros Racing, Girón is determined to continue his rise up the NASCAR Mexico ladder by performing strongly on his debut in Potosino.
“For me, it’s very important to be on a team like Alessandros, which gave me the opportunity to compete this season in the Challenge Series,” Girón said to nascar.mx.
“I want to show them they haven’t made a mistake, and that’s why I’ll be going all out from the first race in San Luis Potosí to score as many points as possible.”
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